Reborn in the 80s, Get Rich by Eating Melons

Chapter 588: Chapter 588: Arriving at the Guo Family

Gu Hongwei and Guo Jinnian would naturally not expose Tong Yao, but they were internally shocked beyond measure.

Uncle Niu Che also took Tong Yao’s words at face value, advising kindly, "Young lady, I am old, and my words may not be pleasant to hear, but don’t mind it. Money is hard to earn, so you should spend it frugally. It’s normal for young people to love beauty, but you can’t wear all the money you earn on your body. In my childhood, many people starved to death due to lack of food and drink. My younger brother starved to death. He was only ten years old, and when he died, he only weighed about a few kilos, his whole body was skin and bones, without any flesh." _{𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓹𝓾𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂}

Speaking of the past, there was a sad look in Uncle Niu Che’s eyes, showing how truly hard those times were.

Tong Yao had merely lied for security reasons, she hadn’t expected to make Uncle Niu Che sad. She had not meant to. She quickly comforted, "Uncle, don’t be sad. Our country’s policies are getting better and better, there will definitely be no more people starving to death. I will also work hard to earn and save money in the future, and I will not spend it on clothing and dressing up."

Guo Jinnian also nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes, yes, we will definitely save money and won’t spend recklessly anymore."

Uncle Niu Che was just saddened by the memory of his brother’s death. Hearing Tong Yao and Guo Jinnian’s words, he instantly smiled again, "You all are willing to listen to advice, you’re good youngsters. It’s okay to make mistakes as long as you can correct them. You’re all around twenty years old, right? Do you have partners?"

Tong Yao, hearing this, felt uneasy and hurried to clarify, "Uncle, we both have partners. I am even pregnant and will give birth in a few months."

She was here to help Guo Jinnian with his affairs, not to be introduced to potential partners by the Uncle.

However, as soon as Uncle Niu Che heard that Tong Yao was pregnant, he was startled, "Oh, young lady, you are pregnant, why didn’t you say so earlier? The path here is not easy, it’s too bumpy. I’ll drive the ox slower."

Looking at the petite and frail young woman, he couldn’t afford to let any mishap happen.

Although Tong Yao didn’t feel uncomfortable in her stomach, it was always good to walk slower, so she didn’t urge Uncle Niu Che.

The ox-cart moved along leisurely. It was almost noon when they reached the village. Uncle Niu Che lived in the next village. He dropped the three off at the entrance of the village, then went home for lunch first, promising to return at three in the afternoon.

In the countryside, meals are typically eaten late, usually around one or two in the afternoon. When Guo Jinnian arrived home with Tong Yao and Gu Hongwei, the Guo family was just having their meal.

Guo Jinnian’s father, Guo Xinpei, wasn’t home, but his mother, Deng Qiuxia, and his sister, Guo Miaomiao, were home.

Seeing Guo Jinnian return, Deng Qiuxia appeared quite happy. Seeing that Guo Jinnian’s arm was injured, she only asked casually and didn’t seem very concerned.

She was rather polite to Tong Yao and Gu Hongwei, fetching bowls and chopsticks and inviting them to join the meal.

Guo Jinnian was indeed hungry. He took the bowl and chopsticks and started eating immediately, always giving Tong Yao signals, "Yaoyao, eat more, you have a baby in your belly. We can’t let you be hungry."

Tong Yao was also really hungry. She didn’t stand on ceremony, but even if she didn’t, there wasn’t much food at home. Deng Qiuxia had only cooked some noodles, and after one bowl per person, there was nothing left.

Deng Qiuxia also noticed that they hadn’t eaten enough. She tied her apron to go to the kitchen and cook more noodles, but was stopped by Tong Yao, "Aunt Deng, don’t bother. We’re full."

They were here to help Guo Jinnian resolve an issue, not to have a meal. They needed to address the important matter first.

Deng Qiuxia didn’t insist on cooking, she nodded her head, hung up her apron, and then immediately started to nag at Guo Jinnian, "Jinnian, why don’t you introduce your friends? I don’t even know what to call them."

Deng Qiuxia was a native of Kyoto, and she could hear that Tong Yao also had a Kyoto accent. She wondered when her daughter made friends from Kyoto.

Making friends with girls was fine, but making friends with a boy could lead to idle gossip if the villagers saw it.

Her daughter was so old now and didn’t say anything about getting married, so people were gossiping behind her back. Now she even brought home a strange male. If the villagers saw this, she really didn’t know what to say.

Before Guo Jinnian could say anything, Tong Yao introduced herself with a laugh, "Auntie, my name is Tong Yao, and he is my younger brother Hongwei."

Deng Qiuxia quickly smiled and asked, "You brother and sister are from Kyoto, right? Your accents sound like Kyoto."

"Yes!"

Tong Yao nodded with a smile, about to speak, when suddenly someone outside the yard called, "Qiuxia, Qiuxia..."

Deng Qiuxia hurried over to open the door, and a woman in her fifties walked in. Seeing the woman, Guo Jinnian’s eyes widened, and he whispered, "This is our village matchmaker, everyone calls her Mother Guo."

On hearing this and seeing Guo Jinnian’s reaction, Tong Yao immediately understood something. She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Has she introduced a partner for you?"

Guo Jinnian nodded, "You have no idea how ugly the man she introduced to me was. His skin was dark like a black bear, he was as short as a winter melon, his eyes were like green beans. The worst part is that his mother was famously wicked in the surrounding villages. I heard that his wife committed suicide by jumping into the river after giving birth to a daughter two years ago, and the daughter was also sent away."

Hearing this, Tong Yao frowned. This was too terrible.

Mother Guo has a loud voice and was discussing matchmaking for Guo Jinnian’s younger sister with Deng Qiuxia. Tong Yao glanced at Guo Miaomiao, who was sitting on the stool, looking a bit shy and not daring to make a sound. She seemed to be only sixteen or seventeen.

She frowned, "Your sister is so young, and she’s already setting her up for marriage?"

Gu Hongwei also frowned, "She’s underage."

Guo Jinnian nodded, "My parents think that it’s useless for a girl to study, it’s better to marry her off early, so she can eat less at home, and they can get dowry money."

Her mother didn’t care about her or her sister, only loved her brother. Seeing how sensible her sister was, Guo Jinnian felt a bit sorry for her.

She had been struggling outside these years and hadn’t spent much time at home. Her sister had grown up so quickly.

She didn’t want her sister’s life to be ruined like this. Lowering her head, she asked, "Miaomiao, what do you think? Do you want to stay at home? If you don’t, come to Kyoto with me! Our aunts and uncles are all there, and I can take care of you when we’re there."

Guo Jinnian felt confident that she could support her sister. Kyoto was so big, finding a job for her sister wouldn’t be a problem.

Guo Miaomiao heard that Mother Guo had come to set her up on a date and she was feeling shy and scared. Though she didn’t want to get married, she did not dare to resist her parents.

Furthermore, she didn’t want to stay at home anymore. Her father would either hit her mother or her after getting drunk. It was too scary.

She hadn’t been with her third sister for these years, and it felt a bit strange, but she remembered that her third sister was nice to her before.